Toronto's CityPlace and environs

J. Will · #1 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 1:39 PM**

CityPlace is a 44-acre development of which 20 acres is parkland. When completed, it will have 7500 condos. About 5000 have been completed to date. They've also left room in the median of the main road running through it for a future streetcar line.

I noticed from my apartment window about two miles away that a new skybridge connecting two of the new condo towers had been put up. So I decided to go down and take some pictures of the development.

The new condo towers with the skybridge.

The yellow bridge is a new pedestrian bridge connecting the development to Front Street, which is on the other side of the rail yards. The bridge is not yet open.

simms3_redux · #2 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 2:44 PM**

red x's

Nouvellecosse · #3 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 3:11 PM**

Shows up for me and I definitely enjoy the area. It's not anything fancy or a destination for outside visitors, just a fun, young, inexpensive urban nabe that contains necessities like a grocery store right there, with close proximity to plenty of other stuff downtown.

Will be much better when/if served by a new streetcar route though.

volguus zildrohar · #4 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 7:29 PM**

Question: Any plans to cap the railyards?

J. Will · #5 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

Question: Any plans to cap the railyards?

East of Spadina it would be nice to see it capped. It would be tough to do though. They aren't that deep, so any platform connecting the two sides would probably have to be higher than the ground level at either side. Unless I guess they could dig the reail yards a little bit deeper while trains are still running. I suppose it might be possible to do some day.

MonkeyRonin · #6 Posted: **Jul 1, 2012, 7:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

Question: Any plans to cap the railyards?

There aren't any train yards pictured here, but there is a proposal for a new commuter train terminal to be built over the yard just west of Spadina.

pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce · #7 Posted: **Jul 2, 2012, 8:26 AM**

Thank God for all that dough from Hongers.

geomorph · #8 Posted: **Jul 2, 2012, 3:38 PM**

That skybridge is a clumsy catastrophe.

smArTaLlone · #9 Posted: **Jul 2, 2012, 5:04 PM**

I second that on the skybridge. Just why.

I wish you had taken some more street level photos.

J. Will · #10 Posted: **Jul 2, 2012, 8:22 PM**

I think the skybridge will look cool when it's completed and the big blue Concord sign will taken down. From where I live (2 miles north) it looks almost surreal. I just noticed that it had gone up one day from my bedroom window. I don't know if it was sort of built separately and raised into place, but if it was and I'd known when they were doing so, I'd have gone down and taken some pictures/videos of them lifting it.

At least wait until it's completed until you judge it.

Tony · #11 Posted: **Jul 3, 2012, 5:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Will

I think the skybridge will look cool when it's completed and the big blue Concord sign will taken down. From where I live (2 miles north) it looks almost surreal. I just noticed that it had gone up one day from my bedroom window. I don't know if it was sort of built separately and raised into place, but if it was and I'd known when they were doing so, I'd have gone down and taken some pictures/videos of them lifting it.

At least wait until it's completed until you judge it.

That's exactly what they did. There was an article in the Star about it I think.

Coldrsx · #12 Posted: **Jul 3, 2012, 5:58 PM**

Even worse than yaletown... for yale retained some element of character and diversity. Having explored much of this, I loath it even more than I would have guessed... well other than the ridiculous density of young ladies.

citizen j · #13 Posted: **Jul 13, 2012, 3:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Even worse than yaletown... for yale retained some element of character and diversity. Having explored much of this, I loath it even more than I would have guessed... well other than the ridiculous density of young ladies.

Apart from Fort York, there wasn't much to 'retain' but a whole lot of railroad tracks. Further east, they've kept and renovated the roundhouse.

HHC · #14 Posted: **Jul 13, 2012, 6:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by citizen j

Apart from Fort York, there wasn't much to 'retain' but a whole lot of railroad tracks. Further east, they've kept and renovated the roundhouse.

As a matter of fact a majority of this land was underwater less than 80 years ago.

Gresto · #15 Posted: **Jul 14, 2012, 1:29 AM**

It's a wasteland. Certainly not very inviting as a place to live. Let us hope that changes.

isaidso · #16 Posted: **Jul 14, 2012, 5:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gresto

It's a wasteland. Certainly not very inviting as a place to live. Let us hope that changes.

Agree. It's right downtown, but you don't feel like you're in Toronto at all. Sterile, banal, suburban, wasted opportunity. The buildings got slightly better as they moved from one to the next, but this area will never be a great neighbourhood. This feels like North York or Mississauga City Centre.

Doady · #17 Posted: **Jul 14, 2012, 11:17 PM**

Strange how one can get such a strong suburban NYCC/MCC vibe when so little of the street level of these buildings are shown in the pictures.

Condos = high-rise sprawl.

Perhaps it's time for a moratorium on condo construction in Downtown Toronto.

phillyskyline · #18 Posted: **Jul 29, 2012, 4:59 AM**

I love all the depth and density this area has gained in the last 10 yrs!